Thursday, October 11, 2012

Spicy Mexican Quinoa Soup

My dry spell at the fair this year has finally ended in the cooking competitions and I finally won a ribbon! This recipe took second place among the soups. Yay!

I tweaked my quinoa soup a bit and managed to snag a second place ribbon for the effort. I was nervous the judges wouldn't go for quinoa. In the past, it's been all about comfort foods. This year, the judges seem to be "living on the edge" and going for unusual combinations and spice. And, props need to go to The Boy who suggested I add a bit of cinnamon because I couldn't figure out that certain "something's missing."

There were actually a few dishes that I preferred over mine, but I kind of love the idea of a cold soup made with avocados and beans. That particular soup would have tasted AMAZING as a garnish on my soup.

I love this soup because it's pretty much all pantry ingredients. Even though I had to grab the peppers at the store this time, they are usually available in my garden.

Spicy Mexican Quinoa Soup

4 C Chicken Broth

1 C quinoa (rinsed)

1 small can tomato sauce

2 (14.5 oz) cans fire roasted tomatoes

1/2 med onion, diced

5 cloves garlic

1 jalapeno pepper seeded and diced

1 pablano pepper seeded and diced

1 T chili powder

1 t cumin

1 t cinnamon

salt to taste

sour cream & cheese for garnish

In a large stockpot, saute onion, garlic, and peppers in a bit of olive oil until the onions are translucent and it smells amazing. Add in broth, quinoa, tomato sauce, fire roasted tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, salt and cinnamon. Cook over medium heat for 30-40 minutes.

I can see why this won an award. it really looks terrific. I have a lot of GF folks that come to my foodie friday party that would really love this...plus other... Please drop by and share this recipe with us.